It’s tough to find a vacation spot that has someone for everyone in the family. For years my entire extended family would pack up and spend two weekends a year-once in the summer and once at Christmas-at Pigeon Forge. My in-laws would spend weeks trying to find a hotel with an indoor pool so the kids could swim, one with enough room for everyone and one that was close to activities for adults and kids. Too bad Wilderness in the Smokies wasn’t available then. This place has everything a family could need onsite. There’s two outdoor water parks available for the summer months and an indoor water park that’s open year round with a wave pool, water slides, a pool and a bar area for the adults to relax while the kids play. My kids were disappointed the outdoor park wasn’t open, but couldn’t wait to get into the indoor area. To be honest, I wanted to splash in the wave pool myself. Did I mention they have an indoor arcade, ropes course, mini golf and laser tag area too? My kids spent all their free time in one of these places.
I’ve traveled extensively with my kids over the years and this was one of the most kid friendly resorts I’ve visited. The rooms were spacious, able to sleep six comfortably, and contained amenities I expect when staying with children. The in room fridge and microwave meant I could store snacks and drinks and the extra television kept them entertained while we watched something besides children’s programming. The children’s bedroom area came complete with a double bed and attached bunk; while the “adult” section contained a work area (with free wi-fi!), a queen bed and a pull out sleeper sofa. (One note: the resort was packed. I’m not sure if there were any available rooms. Even with over 30 wi-fi connections available it was difficult to receive service in the late evenings when everyone had returned to their rooms.)
The staff was friendly and attentive, calling all guests the morning after their arrival to check in and offering a coupon book for the restaurants and attractions located in the hotel. Because Pigeon Forge was so crowded- I forgot that I was going during one of the peak tourist seasons- I was glad to see the option of being able to take the free trolley to area attractions, saving us money on gas and allowing us to enjoy the scenery rather than face the frustration of driving in bumper to bumper traffic.
The hotel was decorated with rustic touches to create a true wilderness feel–small, fake stuffed bears, rustic wooden furniture– while allowing us to not feel as if we were “roughing it.” Another plus was the enforcement of “family friendly rules,” including quiet hours between the hours of 11 PM and 7 AM, ensuring that kids could receive a good night’s sleep and be ready to go the next day. For anyone who is a fitness buff, the fitness room is available for workouts.
The only problem we had during our stay was being located in the room next to the fitness center. Several workout enthusiasts ignored the hours posted on the door and worked out between 12 and 5 AM. I would have had no problem with this, except they turned the television up so loudly our walls shook. I didn’t call the front desk, which was my fault, but I would request a different room next time I visited. Wilderness in the Smokies is located in Sevierville, a short drive from most attractions and secluded enough to avoid major traffic. They have regular special deals to make this an affordable weekend getaway or vacation.
my family is dying to go to an indoor water park. or any water park really!! this looks awesome
What a great place to stay! I love the waterpark and how accommodating it is for children.
this looks like an amazing place to stay! I would love to come here.
This place looks like a great place to take my family. I want to go!
I really love the look of this place, so rustic and friendly. Too bad about those crazy fitness buffs, seems like an odd time to work out! Glad you still had a great time!
OMGosh that’s an amazing resort! I’m dying to get to the Wilderness out here in the Dells!
An indoor waterpark sound awesome. Too bad about being next to the fitness area, atleast we know what room we don’t want to stay in. 🙂
Oh I love this, its always a challenge to find a comfortable room for my family when we travel so this looks great for us. Super cozy!
Looks like you had a great time and I can’t wait to go myself!!! Now I know what to do next time I’m in Pigeon Forge! 🙂 Thanks!
Ohh this looks like an amazing place to spend time with the family and relax.. LOVED the pool area… how fun ….Thanks for sharing…
What a fabulous fun place!
Looks like a cool place to stay! Thanks for sharing!
I lived in TV about 20 yrs ago. It was amazingly gorg!!
I’d go back for a nice vaca here!! Love that rustic look too!
Looks like a great place to stay. My kids would certainly enjoy the water parks! We’ll have to keep this in mind for our next trip to Pigeon Forge.
Oh my goodness, that looks like so much fun! I would have been all over the water park! Oh my, it’s a diehard to exercise between midnight and 5 a.m. Too bad they didn’t follow the rules though 🙁
That looks like an amazing place to stay!
Wow, that place looks amazing!!
The crowded WIFI issue aside, this looks like a great place to stay. I love the stacked beds, that’s vacation-y!!
This looks like a great place to take the family! It looks like fun!
Wow awesome place, but that gym area just left my mouth open!
This looks like a lot of fun. I should take my son here because I think that he would be thrilled!
My kids would be all for that water park part!! How awesome!!
I love that they have quiet hours, especially since so many people going there probably have small children. Sounds like a really fun family location to get away!
It looks like you had a wonderful trip. I love hotels that offer free shuttle service, I hate driving around to attractions so that is a big plus for me. It is a bummer that you were next to the fitness room that wouldn’t have worked out for me. I get testy when I don’t get a good night’s sleep.
I love staying at places like this. We are going back to a place up in NH similar to this in a few weeks and I can’t wait. Great family bonding time 🙂
Looks like a great place to stay and I love the gym!
This looks like such an incredibly kid-friendly place to stay!
This looks like an amazing place to stay.. I love the look and feel of it.. and then of course.. what’s not to love about all the family activities right there in one place… awesome!
I love indoor water parks! We have one that looks similar out here. That wave pool has to be a blast!! Who the heck works out on vacation? LOL Not this chick!!
The lodge looks like a wonderful place for families to stay. My kids would go crazy over the pool area!
This sounds like a great place to stay and I want to visit Tennessee in the summer so will reserve my spot here.
It does look like a very nice rustic place to stay. Hubby would enjoy the workout room. He always needs to find a gym wherever he goes. 🙂
My family loves staying at resorts that look like wilderness lodges. We have yet to do Pigeon Forge for the holidays. This looks like a great place to stay!
I love the rustic look of Wilderness in the Smokies. Even the rooms have that same rustic look. I know I would really like to stay there… and I may. My Hubs and I do a lot of traveling all over the place.